New Christmas traditions

I grew up in Wales but have lived most of my life in Australia. Lately, I have also been spending a considerable amount of my year in France where I consolidated my commitment by buying a small townhouse on the banks of the river Rhone in the Provençal town of Arles five years ago.

I spent childhood Christmases in Wales and Dylan Thomas’ A child’s Christmas in Wales resonates (and who could tell it better than the bard himself?). For most of my subsequent Christmases I have been resident in Australia with only the occasional Christmas spent elsewhere (Christmas is summer holiday time in Australia). I have spent just one Christmas in Arles.

Unfortunately, Christmas in Australia, represents hard work to me, performed in a climate and at a time of year not conducive to strenuous pursuits. It can be exhausting.

So, as the season is upon us and, in the interests of spreading some Christmas joy and cheer and exorcising my inner Scrooge, I’d like to tell you of some traditions of Christmas that are new to me, which are peculiar to my sometime home in Arles, Provence and are, in the main, utterly charming.

Christmas in Arles.

France is a profoundly Catholic (Christian) nation, notwithstanding Laicité the adopted political doctrine that separates the church from the state.

Laicité is firmly embedded in the modern political ideals of France and was grounded in French ideology by the French Revolution of 1789 that put paid to the previous ‘Divine right of Kings’.

This notwithstanding, I’ve found the whole country to be unself-consciously Catholic; there’s no beating of drums or chests like their evangelical counterparts often found in younger, developing nations, the French seem to be comfortable in their Catholic skins.

In Arles, that may be because the town (once a city) has ancient Christian roots to draw from. It has been Christianised since the 4^th Century AD. Before this, Paganism was well and thriving in Arles – so religiosity (in one form or other) has always played a part in the life of Arlesians since the beginning of time as we know it. 

The Roman Emperor Constantine was the first Roman Emperor to embrace Christianity and he lived in Arles for a time where there are still ruins of his baths. (A bit like in Bath England but less grand).

As evidence of this, the former pagan burial ground of Les Alyscamps, on the outskirts of Arles continued to be used after Arles was Christianised but it was co-opted as a Christian burial ground – as was the wont of early Christians.

Saint Trophime (the first bishop of Arles) after whom the 13^th Century Cathedral in Arles was named was buried in Les Alyscamps in the early years AD. It is claimed that Christ himself attended the ceremony, leaving the imprint of his knee on a sarcophagus lid (still extant, I believe – the imprint, not the knee).

As such, the various church masses associated with Christmas are well-attended in this town and with such a wonderful cathedral to hold them in they are nothing short of magnificent – in fact, even their regular church services are grand, befitting the Catholic traditions and the marvellous surroundings.

The sculptures over the church’s portal, particularly the Last Judgement and the columns in the adjacent cloister, are considered some of the finest examples of Romanesque sculpture and, in 1981, the Romanesque centre of Arles was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list with St. Trophime’s considered to be one of Arles’ most cherished Romanesque structures. (Maybe rivalled by L’ Arène which I’ve yet to mention – another time, maybe.)

I attended a mass there one Christmas eve that honoured the Provençal traditions and while I didn’t really understand what was going on (being neither a Catholic nor Provençal) there were a lot of peasant costumes to be seen and the playing of the fife and drums featured heavily.

Santons

Speaking of the French Revolution (we were, weren’t we?), it was responsible for spawning a quaint Provençal Christmas tradition that is still thriving today.

Because the revolutionary government forbade the Christmas midnight mass and also the construction of nativity scenes in the churches (something beloved by the French), in response, an enterprising artisan from Marseille started making terracotta figurines and scenes of the divine nativity that could be displayed in homes. And so the tradition of Santons was born and it continues enthusiastically today.

The word Santons translates loosely to ‘little saints’ and, at Christmas time, artisans known as santoniers make small replicas of the characters from the nativity…and more.

“The makers of santons took their inspiration from the people of Provence to create new characters…: there is Boufareu, the angel who guides people to the stable; the blind man who suddenly regains his sight; the pot-bellied, bald priest, from the neighbouring parish; Marius, a central character who, like Alphonse Daudet’s character Tartarin de Tarascon, is very talkative; there is also the gypsy girl, the fisherman, the water carrier, the holy fool, the grinder and many more.”

In fact, I believe there are 55 extra characters than is usual in a customary nativity scene.

These figurines can be purchased and  the those made by the best santoniers command serious money.

Les Santons de Provence – from an exhibition in Arles

Christmas Dinner

In Arles, (as in the rest of France) the main Christmas meal is sometimes eaten on Christmas Eve after mass, La Reveillon de Nöel; sometimes on Christmas day and sometimes both. It is not very different to what you’d expect with luxury items featuring in the repast such as oysters, foie gras and caviar. For the main course they roast a fowl – sometimes a turkey, but often a ‘capon’ which is a chicken that has been castrated and grows, large and plump as a result (I don’t think you can get them in Australia).

The major difference comes with dessert. They don’t eat plum pudding but a decorated Swiss Roll called a Bûche de Nöel (Yule log) – called such because it is traditionally shaped to resemble a log of wood (but not always.)

From Les Halles de Paul Bocuse.

The year the family (or at least, part of it) Christmassed in Arles, we made a 90 minute train trip to Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France, prior to Christmas where we shopped for our Christmas food at Les Halles de Paul Bocuse- a covered market where the best of French culinary items and produce can be bought. (Paul Bocuse, is a world-famous chef and Lyon’s favourite son.)

We travelled home laden with duck, foie gras, caviar and a Bûche de Nöel made of chocolate and raspberries. And, of course, there had to be champagne. Our bags were heavy but our wallets (and hearts) were light – but not our heads as we held off on the champagne until we got home.  

Drôles de Nôel

But Christmas is not all champagne, cake and hymns in Arles at Christmas. No, since 2004, Arles has been producing a street theatre spectacle that they call Drôles de Nôel (Funny Christmas).

In the days leading up to Christmas around 15 theatre companies put on around 50 shows in various venues and times around the town. There are circus acts, puppet shows, storytellers, light extravaganzas and more in coincidence with the arrival of Papa Nöel (Father Christmas.)

The year, I was in residence at Christmas, (2017) the most spectacular attraction, (in my opinion) was the aerial acrobats flying high over La Place de La Républic. They performed at night – dressed in white as they flew from the ramparts of the town hall, dropping tonnes of feathers to simulate snow (which the council, amazingly, cleaned up very quickly and efficiently afterwards)– it was magical.

There was also a sound and light show which danced on the surface of the town hall – more magic.

This year the whole family had planned to spend Christmas in Arles  – but alas, Covid had other ideas, as it has for the people of Arles whose Drôles de Nôel have been cancelled. Tant pis, as they’d say in Arles.